Vacuum-tube translating device



P Aug. 4, 1925.

. 1,548,095 H. s. OSBORNE VACUUM TUBE TRANSLATING DEVICE Filed March 5. 1921 wven to z w 15. J. UYW/Za Patented Aug.- 4, 1925.

' erably, trolled by means of a diaphragm,

UNITED STAT HAROLD S. OSBORNE, OF MONTCLLIB, NEW PHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY,

' "1,548,095 ES PATENT-- Orr-loa JERSEY, ASSTGNOBIO AI EBIGAN TELE- A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VACUUM-TUBE TBAN SLATING DEVICE.

Application filed larch a,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain .Im rovements in Vacuum-Tube Translating evices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to translating devices, and more particularly to devices for determining the flow of electric current in p a circuit .in accordance with independent controlling forces. .One of the objects of the present invention is to produce a translating device which may be used as an amplifier, a generator 0 oscillations, or as a means for varying the flow of electric current in a circuit in accordance with signals.

These objects, as well as other objects of the inv ntion are obtained by providing a vacuuml tube arrangement of the audion type, having a heated filament, a grid and plate electrode, the grid or controlling electrode being movable mechanically in accordance with sound or other vibrations. Prefthe movement of the; grid is conwhich may form an integral part of the wall of the vessel itself, or'may be inserted and sealed in an opening arranged in the wall of the vessel.

The invention may now bevmore fully understood by reference to the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of which illustrate four i mentsof the invention.

. Referring to Fig. 1, 10 desi ates their.

the well The container formed.-

wall of an evacuated vessel 0 known audion type; by the wall 10 (hwhich may be of blown glass) may be ex austed in a manner well known :in the art to any. desired degree of vacuum. .Nea'r the'bottom of the. vessel is formed a press 11 from which. extends a stem 12, having an arm 13 at a right angle ly the sion 17 to which the bottom of the I is secured, while thereto for suspending the filament 14, plate 15 and grid. 16. The plate 15 is refer-ably supported both atlthe top and t e'bottom so as to be as rigid as possible. Accordingpress 11 is provided with an extenthe upper part of t e plate is attached by suitable wires to the end of the arm 13. Conductors 18,- 19, 20 and 21 S. Osnoimn,

fferent embodiof the vessel phra 22' may late 15,

1921. Serial 1T0. 449,336.

are imbedded in the press and are connected Atone side the wall 150 of the vessel is made thin, as shown at 22, and formed into theshap'e of a diaphragm. An arm 23 extends from the central portion of the diaphragm, and the grid 16 is supported upon the arm 23 so as to be movable with the diaphragm 22. If desired, the grid 16 may. be suspended from. the arm 13' by means of flexible members 24, which will permit of the mechanical movement of the grid under theaction of the diaphragm. The plate 15 may be provided with a perforation 25, 'so f that the arm 23'may pass through the plate 7 to the grid without contacting with the plate.

In operation a suitable source of current may be connected to the conductors 18 and 19 to heat the filament in the usual manner, and a source of space current may be to the threeelectrodes in the usual manner.

connected between the conductor 21 and I .either conductor 18 or 19. The potential of the grid may be set toany fixed value desired by connecting the conductor '20 to a suitable potential source. The diaphragm 22 will be set into vibration by sound waves or other mechanical forces and, operating through the stem 23, will vary the spacial separation between the id 16-and the filament and plate electro es. This results in changing the coefiicient of amplification of the tube in proportion to thesound or other waves affecting the diaphragm, so that the current flow between the filament, 14 and plate 15 will be varied accordingly.

Instead of forming an integral art of the wall of the vessel, a separate diaphragm 22% may be formed of metal, or other suitable material, and its edges imbedded in the portions of the wall surrounding a suitable opening made in the side thereof, as indicated in Fig. 2. The joint between the edges of the diaphragm and the wall of the vessel should be made air-tight. by means well known in the art, so that the vacuum within the vessel may The stem 23" rigidly attached to the diabe made of the same materia as the diaphragm, but. if made of conductive material, care should be taken to 'see' that the opening-25in the plate is sufiiciently large, so that there will be no pomibility or electrical contact between the the diaphragm 22% I be maintained at the desired value.

arm 23 and the plate -13.- The operation of this form of the apparatus will be Similar to that described in connection with Fig. 1 and need not be further considered.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of the invention in which the diaphragm itself maybe' made to function as the controlling electrode or grid. In this case the wall 10 of the vessel may be formed into a diaphragm 22 as in Fig. 1. The press 11 at the bottom of the vessel will be provided with a stem 12, having the arm 13 at right angles thereto as before. In this instance the filament 14 will be supported at the end of the arm 13, and the plate 15 will be fixed between a support 26, carried by the arm 13, and a support 17, carried by the press 11, so that the filament 14' will be arranged between the diaphragm 22 and the plate 15. A metallic deposit 27 may be made upon the glass diaphragm 22, and an electrical connection may be made between the metallic surface thus formed and the conductor 20 by means of a wire 28. In this form of the invention the vibration of the diaphragm 22, in response to vocal sounds or other mechanical forces, will var the distance between the metallic deposit 2 and the filament and plate electrodes. This will produce corresponding changes in the coeflicient' of amplification of the tube, so that the space current flowing between the filament and plate will-vary in accordance with the sound vibrations.

Instead of forming the diaphragm as a I part of the glass wall of the vessel, the diaphragm may be made of conductive material 22 and imbedded in the walls of the vessel, as shown in Fig. 2, the mechanical construction being similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2. -By connecting the conductive material of the dia hragm to the conductor 20 and arranging tl ie circuit connections of the filament and plate as before, the diaphragm itself may act as a grid or controlling electrode, so that as it vibrates in res onse to voice waves, for example, the coe cient of amplification of the tube will be varied accordingly.

It will be understood that in the drawing the illustrations are merely schematic and are intended to disclose the essential underlying principles without purporting to delineate a form of mechanical construction which must be rigidly adhered to inthe practice of this invention. It? will also be obvious that the general principles herein disclosed may be embodied in many other organizations widely different from those illustrated without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined 1n the following claims.

What is claimed i 1. A translatingdevice, comprising an i evacuated vessel, electrodes within the vessel between which a dischar current may be caused to flow, an auxiliary electrode for controlling said discharge current, and a diaphragm forming a portion of the wall of the vessel, said diaphragm'and said auxiliary electrode being mechanically connected.

2. A translating device, comprising an evacuated vessel, a heated filament and a plate electrode within said vessel, an auxilof conductive material whereby said diaphragm may function as an auxiliary or controlling electrode.

4. A translating device, comprising an evacuated vessel, electrodes within said vessel, between which a discharge current may be caused to pass a diaphragm forming a portion of the wa s of said vessel, said dia phragm being composed, atleast in part, of

conductive material whereby said diaphragm' may function as an auxiliary electrode for controlling the discharge between the electrodes contained within the vessel.

5. A translatin device, evacuated vessel, filament and plate electrode within said vessel, a diaphragm forming a portion of the walls of said vessel, said diaphragm being formed, at least in part, of conductive material whereby said diaphragm may function as an auxiliary controlling electrode.

6. A translating device, comprising an evacuated vessel, electrodes for said vessel between which a discharge current may be caused to pass, a diaphragm constituting a portion of the walls of said vessel, and conductive material constituting an auxiliary electrode for controlling said discharge current, said conductive material being movable with said diaphragm.

7. A translating device, comprising an evacuated vessel, a heated filament and. a plate enclosed within the walls of said vessel, a diaphragm constituting a portion'of the walls of sand vessel, and conductive material constituting an auxiliary controlling comprising an' electrode, said conductive material being movable with said diaphragm.

In testimony whereof, have si ned my name to this specification this 2nd day of March, 1921.

HAROLD S. OSBORNE. 

